This past week has been an emotional one.
I have never seen nor felt such an immediate impact by a policy our own government has enacted as I have this past week. By no means do I want to make this a post about politics. Instead I simply want to shed some light on what I am experiencing on the other side of the Atlantic and call us as a body of believers to pray even when we don't understand.
Two weeks ago today I had the opportunity to work with a group of local refugee believers. It was the most amazing week I have yet experienced while being here. I got to disciple a lot of the younger girls in the church and I was blown away by the love this church family showed me. They have gone through a lot and still have a long way to go as most families are awaiting access to another country. They hungered for God in a way I found contagious and I walked away from this week changed, challenged and so hopeful for the future of each person I met.
Yet this week has pulled on some heart strings as I see how directly impacted these familes will be by placing their potential entrance to America on hold. It breaks my heart because I know how hard it has been for them to wait these past 15 months or more.
My friend met with a refugee woman the other day who had just recently gotten her VISA accepted, yet now is at a loss as to what she should do. Something she had been waiting on for so long was finally obtained only to be told she must go back to waiting. She isn't allowed to apply for entrace to another country, instead she must wait until America allows her to enter again.
There is no perfect system. As fallen human beings that is something we can't ever expect to obtain. Evil situations have displaced many people in this world and imperfect people do the best they can to combat the evil as much as they can.
My heart breaks for the people I personally know as their hope in being granted accpetance to their awaited country soon has just been prolonged. There are so many barriers and restrictions on these refugees in their current living situations I can only imagine how they must be feeling.
I wish I had the power to send them all to America myself. I want the world, especially America to see how amazing these people are!
Yet, the reality is I am not the one in control. I might be upset, confused and heart broken for the situation my friend's are going through, but there is SO much more to the story. The best thing I can do is pray for these people, these brothers and sisters, and ask that these set backs would only increase their faith MORE. That it would remind them their third country isn't the promised land, but home with our Father is!
Oh how I want them to be able to have a smooth and fast transition to a better life, but who am I to know where their better life will be found. If I profess faith in Christ and say I follow Him then I must TRULY believe that no matter where we are in this world fellowship with Him far exceeds anything else! God is revealing to me my own short comings through this time.
If there is one thing I know it is that God is a redeemer and even in the worst situations the evil of this world will not have the last stand, God can and will use all things to reveal Himself to us so that we might glorify the only One we can truly put our complete hope and trust in!