In Their Own Words: Three Refugee Stories
Jenny*, a missionary in Europe, collected these stories of faith from three refugees that she's gotten to know personally through her work there.
God Must Be Jesus’s Father (Refugee #1)
I came to faith through studying the virgin birth. I wrestled with the idea of it and came to the realization that all the other prophets had a physical father whereas Jesus had no physical father. This father must be God which would make Jesus the son of God! I also realized that I had been worshiping idols, prophets, Mohammed. It was as if I was praying to a wall. There was never any answer. … But now I worship Jesus, the living God! I had started to seek Jesus in [my home country in the Middle East] but didn't have a Bible, so I used the internet as a way to find out more information about Him. God brought me here so that I might find Jesus. But the truth is that Jesus found me. Now I understand that God has forgiven my sins through Jesus’ death on the cross and I have a new life in Him.
Islam Couldn’t Fill the Hole in My Heart (Refugee #2)
I was interested in the miracles I had heard Jesus performed and did some research online as well. I realized that only the true God could do such miracles which meant that Jesus had to be God. I was seeking God through Islam but never found Him there. I had a huge hole in my heart that Islam couldn't fill. I knew only Jesus could and he has filled it now. There is no real love or forgiveness in Islam. But through the Bible study, I learned that Jesus forgave all my sins on the cross granting me access to God. God brought me here to discover Jesus and learn how to follow him in peace!
My Wife Was Secretly Going to Church (Refugee #3)
My wife was in a house church in [my home country in the Middle East] and I didn’t even know about it! She used to be so anxious about everything but now she had such a peace! She had changed so much that I knew something was happening with her that was supernatural. I asked her and she told me about Jesus so it piqued my interest.
Eventually my wife got into trouble in court because she was visiting a house church. That's when we fled. When we arrived in Europe back in the fall, my Christian friend Jenny gave me a Farsi Bible. I have read it twice from cover to cover since then. Two things stuck out to me while reading the Bible. One was that Jesus gives a purpose to my suffering. I love the book of Job. God confronts Job with the fact that he wasn’t there at the foundation of the earth. The other was the use of the law and how Jesus rebuked the Pharisees with trusting the law for their salvation instead of trusting Him. It is not about outwardly keeping the law but about the heart. Through reading the Bible, God lifted the veil from my eyes to see Jesus as the only way to God. I want to live my life for Jesus, body, heart, mind, and soul. Life without Jesus is not worth living anymore. God had a plan to bring me here so I could find Jesus. Now I am 100 percent convinced that I want to live for Jesus. God is now giving me endurance to suffer like Job. We have found joy even though life is so hard here.
Please pray for these and other refugees who are finding faith in a new homeland.
*Name has been changed.
GET INVOLVED
Jars of Clay
I struggled to find the patience I needed to navigate my three crying children as my Muslim neighbor continued banging on my gate.
SEE MOREWho Cares for Me? Understanding the Role of Care as You Choose a Missions Agency
At MTW we want our missionaries to know who cares for them and what kind of member care to expect on the mission field.
SEE MOREThe Benefits of Missions Work Among the Nations in South Korea
As a child in South Korea, Jonathan never met a foreigner. Today he sees them everywhere. Migration has opened wide new doors to ministry.
SEE MOREPray for God's grace for missionaries as they seek to be an example of love and hospitality to their neighbors while facing ongoing stressors of life.
Pray that missionaries would feel cared for while on the field. Pray, too, for our Member Care Department staff as they seek to care for missionaries well.
Pray for God's work among the nations in South Korea through MTW's Diaspora Ministry.
Please pray for Haiti, and particularly for the safety of our ministry partners in Gonaives as they continue to labor patiently with the people.
Pray that believers in Poland would get theological materials they need in their heart language through a new publishing ministry.
Pray for MTW's ministry in Haiti in the midst of ongoing gang violence and ongoing instability.
Pray for the people of Ukraine including the pastors, elders, and church members we work with. Pray that the war would end, and that God would use this crisis to draw Ukrainians to Himself.
Pray for the Ethiopia ACT project, which cares for the sick and vulnerable in Addis Ababa. Pray for staff and for participants.
Pray for the Island to Island partnership bringing together Pacific Islands nations for a coordinated gospel effort. Pray for churches in Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands.
Pray that as we engage people globally with cultural sensitivity, that they would be open to relationships with MTW missionaries and, more importantly, open to the truth of the gospel.
SUBSCRIBE TO STORIES & MORE
Good news in your inbox, once per week.
1600 North Brown Rd
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
United States
1-678-823-0004
[email protected]
Donor-Advised Fund Portal
Circle Portal