Why Germany?
As
I hope you are aware, there is a huge refugee crisis happening in the
world. Millions of displaced people are
fleeing warfare in the Middle East and escaping into neighboring countries, and
some making their way into Europe.
Germany has processed over 1 million refugees in the last year and a
half.
The
vision of “The Engage the Crisis” mission, an organization created by The
Antioch Network, is to bring Love, Peace, and Hope to those in crisis. Through partnering with long-term relief workers
and missionaries, over the next few months thousands of Christians will be
traveling to various locations in Germany and other countries where refugees
are settling. Part of the central
motivation of this mission is recognizing the unique moment in time and history
when there is an open opportunity for Christians to meet Muslims. And possibly, through organic relationships,
Muslims will meet Jesus.
There
is a lot of ugly stuff happening in the world, and a lot of hopelessness
because of that. I don’t know about you,
but at the end of the day, I find hope in Jesus. In the midst of the crises our world faces,
we need Jesus.
So
my hope, and the hope of The Engage the Crisis mission, is to be the hands and
feet of Jesus. To be a shoulder to cry
on. To weep with those who weep. To
share in the pain, and sit in the midst of suffering. To be a presence of comfort by means of the One
who is my only comfort. And maybe, in
the midst of the absurdity of an American girl sitting in the middle of Dusseldorf,
Germany, talking with displaced Muslim peoples from Afghanistan and Syria,
someone will see and feel a Light that speaks louder than words in the midst of
great darkness.
“The people walking in darkness
Have seen a great light;
On those living in the land of the shadow of
death
A light has dawned….”
Why me?
When
my friend first encouraged me to sign up for the trip to Germany I floated
through a series of emotions. Fear of
stepping out into a new context with not one, but two people groups I am
unfamiliar with. Fear of falling in love
with these people. Can my heart possibly
hold the pain of more people? And aren’t I cheating on Zambia, on the people I love,
by spending time, energy, and money serving in another place?
Well,
lots of conversations and lots of prayer, and clearly I am being led to go. I still go with these fears, but the Lord is
comforting and guiding me. He is growing me, and holding me; reassuring me that
he is the one holding my heart and that, because he loves these people, he will
make me strong enough to love them too.
I’m going to learn a lot. A lot about two cultures I know only a little
bit about. Encounter at least two languages. (Hopefully learn to say more than “es gibt
eine kleine ente in der badevanne”) I will learn about a new style of
missions. I will participate on this
trip under the leadership of a church that does short-term missions really
well. (We are going through 16 hours of team training before departure!) So for
all these very practical reasons, this will be an excellent addition to my
apprenticeship experience.
Will
you pray with/for me?
Please pray especially for:
- The ability
to see and hear clearly what God is doing (John 5:19)
- The
refugees to find hope and life in Jesus (Romans 5:1-11)
- Divine
appointments with key people (Psalm 37:23)
- Unity among
our team (Psalm 133:1)
- The war in
Syria to end (Psalm 46:9)
- For relief
efforts in Germany and throughout the world
Will
you support me financially?
I need to raise $2,500 to
participate. This covers airfare,
training and debrief (4 days in Amsterdam), lodging, and food.
If you are feeling led to give, here
are the ways to do that:
1) Follow this GIVING LINK find my name by clicking on the arrow next to
the label: "Refugees in Europe."
If you do this, please also send
me an email so I can keep a record and send you a thank you!!
2) If you prefer to not give
digitally, you can write a check to Lake Avenue Church with my name in the
memo. However, we are asking that checks
not be mailed directly to the church as this might get lost in the shuffle. So, please send me an email at Laureninzambia@gmail.com and I can
give you my home address J
Thank
you!!
Once again, I am overwhelmed by your
love and support. I can’t imagine doing
this journey without you, and also can’t imagine sharing it with anyone
better. Thank you for the many ways you
minister to me and encourage my steps along the way!!
