In This Is Love...

"What do you think 'atoning sacrifice' means?" she asked the crowd of 30+ refugee children. I'll never forget my first-ever weekend neighborhood outreach with For the Nations Refugee Outreach. It was just over a week ago, the Saturday before Valentine's Day. As I directed people-traffic and scribbled African and Afghan names on 30 nametags, I wondered about the impending chaos. After all, some of the middle-school-aged boys had a reputation for disruption. Most of these kids come from Mslm families; would they just scoff at the teaching from the Bible? Would they even understand it? But some of the kids proved otherwise. After the Bible lesson, we began memorizing 1 John 4:10 phrase-by-phrase using heart-shaped cards. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." When one lady asked "what do you think 'atoning sacrifice' means?" my eyes immediately turned to Hassan.* Sure enough, his hand shot up. "That's easy. A sacrifice is something that dies in someone's place so they can live. Jesus is the sacrifice who took our sins and died in our place." Boom. If his peers heard nothing else that day, I hope they at least listened to Hassan's words. Hassan is always proud to display his knowledge of soccer, spelling, or spiritual things. I can always count on him to ask (or answer) deep questions about the Bible stories at our weekly homework help. I'm glad he has learned the gospel so clearly through our programs, but I hope he desires to know God personally. Pray that Hassan will believe in his heart that Jesus loves him and came to die as his atoning sacrifice.

More news: My monthly support level is just past 25%! I immersed into Karen culture at the local Karen New Year festival -- a great opportunity to bond with students outside the classroom (photos coming soon). Executive order about refugees: For the Nations has issued this statement and these practical suggestions. We're still committed to share the message of Jesus' love to refugees while we have ample opportunity. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to talk more or hear my perspective. *Names changed for privacy reasons. To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*