We Welcome Them With Love

You've heard of the refugee crisis. It may seem very far away. It may be something that you notice every day, as you see new people join your community.

Watch this video to see what being a refugee might be like.

Providing refuge and love to others is definitely something that God has a lot to say about.

Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do good. Seek justice.
                      Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans.
                      Fight for the rights of widows.

Psalm 34:14 - Turn away from evil and do good.
                          Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Hosea 6:6 - I don't want your sacrifices - I want your love.
                     I don't want your offerings - I want you to know me.

As we end a crucial week in American history, you are needed. You need to stand up for love. You need to stand up to help the oppressed. You need to stand up to maintain peace. 

Here's a message from World Relief. They are an organization who works to welcome refugees into our country. Please take 1 or all 3 steps to let our elected officials know what God has to say about refugees, and how we wish to welcome them with love.

Greetings, Your voice is needed now more than ever. President Trump is planning to issue an executive order that would suspend the refugee resettlement program for 120 days, halve our current commitment to refugee arrivals, and ban Syrian refugee arrivals for an indefinite period of time (with potentially other nationalities on the line). We need an outpouring of signatures, calls, and emails to your elected officials to say that this is not OK. Would you do the following 3 things? 1. Sign a petition Sign and share this petition expressing solidarity with refugees.

2. Contact elected officials Email your elected officials here and call your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives by dialing 1-866-940-2439. Once connected, you can share: Your name, city, and state Your support for the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program One or two reasons why you personally believe in welcoming refugees Another great way to make your voice heard is by commenting on White House Facebook posts or submitting a message at whitehouse.gov/contact.

3. Use social media Tweet this message to @realDonaldTrump, @WhiteHouse, and your Senators/Representatives: "[Insert @TwitterHandle], my community stands w/ ALL refugees! The US should continue to resettle #refugees! #WeWelcomeRefugees" Have you had the experience of getting to know refugees who are being resettled into your community? Please comment below and let us know!  One of my stories:  I had the opportunity 2 years ago to go visit a refugee family in their home. I had gotten to know them through a program I was volunteering at. They lived in an attic apartment, and the stairs were hard to climb. Once we arrived, they welcomed us with open arms and lots of cheek-kissing. They brought us in, and we sat on their floor with them. Even though I knew that they were struggling to provide for their large family, they made a delicious meal for us and shared everything they had with us. My heart overflowed during that meal; I had gone into the situation feeling like I was giving and helping them. They ended up blessing me more than I could ever bless them. Their hospitality and love, generosity and selflessness overwhelmed me. They showed me love. I will never forget it.