【行動篇】1

be their friend

Oral description, photo provided/Chen Yiping (Arizona)

In 2021, a large number of Afghans fled the Taliban regime and left everything behind to stay away from their homes. At the end of the year, no less than a few of them came to the United States. In February 2022, the government resettled approximately 74,000 refugees in various states. A sister received female refugees. She invited my husband, Pastor Huang Qisheng, and I to care for a family who came here. They were lonely and depressed and needed timely encouragement and help. This was the beginning of our unexpected service to refugees.

▲The church held a picnic in the park, and K’s family also came and received a warm welcome. The first and second from the right are the author and his wife.

The first time I visited K, I moved into an apartment provided by the government. It was no exaggeration to describe the house as bare-bones. So I contacted relatives and friends around me to collect daily necessities for K's family of four, and received an enthusiastic response. In just one month, we collected sofas, beds, tables and chairs, as well as TVs, electric pots, cooking utensils, dishes, children's clothes, toys, story books, etc. Co-workers also taught them how to use community resources, such as going to the library to find jobs online, learning English with volunteers, etc. I gradually became acquainted with them, and after I settled down in my life, I continued to visit the family.

We often visit after Sunday worship, and K always prepares snacks for us. One time the host prepared a sumptuous meal and insisted that we stay to eat. We blessed the meal, and the host didn’t show any embarrassment. They and we, such different people, sat around the table comfortably like friends, breaking and passing hot Naan, and the small apartment was filled with the mist of Middle Eastern spices. While speaking in a homely manner, he also mentioned the content of the pastor's sermon that day. They knew that we were preachers, and they respectfully called my husband Reverend. K said, "You are Christians, and I know you are good people."

▲The dishes are rich and fragrant. The author and his wife accepted the hospitality while receiving the refugees.

Before Easter, the church held a picnic in the park. K’s whole family came and invited friends who are also from Afghanistan to participate. The children were so happy, running and jumping in the sunshine, with bright smiles on their faces. The brothers and sisters worked hard to chat with these new friends who were not yet fluent in English, and learned about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.

K told me that he found a formal job and got his driver's license. He especially thanked us for our encouragement over the past few months, saying that life would get better and better. We affirmed his determination not to give in to working in a restaurant, so that he could find a more stable job with higher income. Although they may have to move away, our friendship will remain.

The U.S. military has been stationed in Afghanistan for 20 years, and many Afghans are no strangers to Christianity, nor do they reject it. When refugees come to the United States, God actually opens the door to the gospel. They are highly mobile and have such a short window of opportunity to receive them. They really need to seize it as their last chance.

Every ministry needs a champion, someone who dares to take the lead and take the lead in serving. When receiving refugees, seeing a co-worker take the initiative can inspire other brothers and sisters to also receive and care for Afghan families here.

They and we, with such different cultures, experiences, and beliefs, can still treat each other sincerely. We are their friends, and they are our friends.

Ask good questions

Oral narration/Sister M (Texas)

Since 2015, refugees from the Middle East have been arriving in the city where they live. Seeing mosques sprouting up like mushrooms after rain, I drove around places where Muslims gather and prayed: God, they need the gospel. But who will pass it on? How to pass it on? Later, a refugee service center was set up in the community. When I stepped through the door, I saw a completely different world.

The center provides English and citizenship test courses for refugees and immigrants from the Middle East who speak Arabic as their native language, assists with writing resumes, finding jobs, provides professional legal advice, and helps them fill out forms (medical insurance, social security, immigration, apartment relocation, children enrolling in school, etc.). Most of the volunteers who provide services are local Americans, and Chinese are rarely seen. I don’t know what to do, but would love to participate.

I often take them to and from the service center, visit their homes for refreshments, and take them for walks in the park or shopping malls. Like a friend, I ask them about their challenges and needs in life and pray for them. As time went by, I also learned from the volunteers at the center to express my concern for the right issues, thereby building friendships and leading to spiritual topics.

I have observed that many Muslims fear God and like to talk about God, but it is difficult to cross the threshold of admitting that "Jesus is the Son of God." They have always passively listened to sermons and passively obeyed rules. I started asking questions and seeing them start to think. They like to receive blessings, and I often pray to bless them in the name of Jesus, because the name of Jesus is powerful.

They are eager to learn about American culture. From the conversation, I learned about their backgrounds and shared my own difficult experiences as immigrants. These testimonies bring us closer together.

Those who knew me were impressed by the two very different ladies. A strong woman from Iraq, contrary to the image of weak Middle Eastern women, divorced her husband and came to the United States to live with her children. When I visit her home, she is always welcoming and talkative. I asked her what she does during Ramadan. Since you believe in God, why don’t you read God’s word, the Bible? Another smiling lady, who has been widowed for many years, still wears black robes after the fasting month of Ramadan. I asked why, and she said she wanted to make up for what she had missed during the confinement period when she had six children. She said that when she was young, she had a dream in which a man in a white robe appeared to her. The teacher at the center told her about Jesus, but she did not accept it or reject it.

The service center was closed for a long time due to the epidemic, but is now gradually resuming its activities and teaching children Arabic and keyboard instruments. Refugees and immigrants have become citizens and have settled here. They need different services and have fewer opportunities to see them. However, from time to time I will send text messages to greet them and wish them well.

Years of experience have taught me that it is not difficult to receive refugees and immigrants. Many kind-hearted people are willing to provide assistance and services. How can Christians love their "neighbors" when these people become our colleagues and our children's classmates? Ask God to open our eyes and hearts and receive the equipment to enter the harvest field right at our doorstep. God has brought people of all nations and races here, and we can start by asking good questions and bring them the truth and eternal blessings.

Go and preach!

Oral/Sister C (Texas)

I used to be a good Christian. I went to church, prayed, studied the Bible, and even went to seminary to take courses, but I never preached the gospel. In 2017, I went to Iraq for a short-term mission without knowing it. When I got there, I saw the vast desert. I wanted to turn around and catch the next plane and leave.

Unexpectedly, I saw the Father’s intention there, which is for all races, nations, and peoples to know Him and return to Him. After returning to the United States from Iraq, my attitude towards life completely changed. I received training in evangelism and practiced it seriously.

我進入 e3 Partners ¹ 機構，接受 No Place Left ² 教材訓練，不僅自己傳福音，同時培訓同工使用合適的工具，把福音傳給更多人。過去五年中，社區多了許多從敘利亞、伊拉克、印度、巴基斯坦等地來的人。平時試著跟這些人接觸，講耶穌，成為非常好的傳福音的訓練。無論他們原居地在何處，是移民或難民，我都要傳；敲公寓的門、在社區跑步、上超市買菜，隨時隨處，我都準備好要傳。

Once I knock on the apartment door, I say I'm here to care about the community and ask if they need prayer. Then, in the name of Jesus, after briefly praying for their needs, ask if you can share the changes in your life.

During the process, I came into contact with many Afghan families who were very kind to others. By bringing food and putting it in the kitchen, the purpose is to sit down and chat. When I meet someone who likes to argue and say how good the God they believe in is, I don’t answer. I just say, “Let me tell you how good the Jesus I believe in is.” Emphasize in the conversation that God is love and that going to heaven is a sure thing. according to.

I was scolded once, and the other party even called my lawyer and threatened to take me to court because the food I sent was not "halal" (food that complies with Islamic regulations). I told the lawyer that I was a volunteer who cared for the residents with kindness and love. I had no intention of offending him, but I had no obligation to prepare halal food.

▲By delivering food and putting it in the kitchen, the purpose is to sit down, chat and preach the gospel.

When visiting refugees many times, I told them the truth of the gospel, which was in great contrast to the incorrect statements they had heard before. Sometimes I send food to the poor; sometimes I comfort the sad people, including once talking to a young man who had just divorced for two hours; more often than not I listen to people's complaints.

In a broken world, everyone has a lot of pain that is invisible on the outside and unspeakable on the inside. Preaching the gospel gives me the opportunity to go out into the world, care about people, and be light and salt. In this way, I can preach the gospel every day, more than 200 times a month, which makes me more vivid and energetic. I also see that "the gospel is the power of God."

Once I took a young brother to knock on the apartment door to preach the gospel. The person who answered the door was an Iranian uncle who seemed to have a tough attitude. The little brother was mumbling and talking about the main points of the gospel in disarray. I was extremely anxious and wanted to say a few words to him. Unexpectedly, the little brother said in a weak voice: "Jesus came to save you..." Uncle Iran shed tears and said, "I need Jesus; I am a sinner." The little brother led him to pray for a decision on the spot. , the kingdom of God welcomes a new family member.

Jesus wants us to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, and now God has brought refugees and immigrants from the ends of the earth to where we live. On that morning thousands of years ago, the angel told the woman: Go quickly and tell people that He has been resurrected from the dead; I also want to be like a "megaphone" to preach the salvation of Jesus until "there is no more place to preach."

Note:
1.e3 Partners（https://e3partners.org/)’s purpose is to equip (Equip) God’s children to preach (Evangelize) the gospel and build (Establish) healthy, growing, and transformed churches everywhere.
2. No Place Left（https://noplaceleft.net/) provides various tools to preach the gospel in a short time through simple pictures. The name of the organization comes from Romans 15:23, where the apostle Paul said, "There is no more place to preach."

More resources
1. Issue 20 of this magazine’s outreach unit "Understanding Islam and Muslims" (http://www.shen-guo.org/knowing-islam-and-muslims.html); Issue 53 "Seven Reminders for Preaching the Gospel to Muslims" (http://shen-guo.org/witnessing-to-muslims-seven-reminders.html).
2. "Seize the moment" (Kairos) missionary life course (https://chinesekairosusa.org/).