That Uncomfortable Gap Between New and Normal
By a member of SEND’s Diaspora |
North America
team
We have a new grandson! This is great news to us, but not so great news to his older sister. Why? Before he was born, the first-born got all the attention, but now, that cute little baby is getting all the attention. This happens to every family that has more than one child. The first child feels the shift in the family, even when mom and dad (and grandpa and grandma) work hard to ease the transition.
This same thing can happen with refugees and immigrants. The world is complex and as war and social unrest continue to displace people, new refugees and immigrants constantly flow from one country to another.
Actually, the system is designed to work this way: New arrivals get most of the available help and those who have been there longer get less help. The problem is that local resettlement agencies are overwhelmed and can’t keep up with the regular support and contact they are supposed to provide. As a result, even though last year’s newcomers didn’t get enough help to transition from being a refugee, they are left without much assistance. This can leave these vulnerable people struggling and frustrated.
What an opportunity we have as the Church to step in and provide Hope and Light to these hurting people. Most of these people have never interacted with Christians before and never would have had the opportunity to even meet a Christian in their home country. Now they are here in our midst! As we assist in practical ways of teaching English, being a friend, helping them learn our culture, and teaching them things that will make their transition easier, we can also provide the light and truth of Christ.
If our faith is deeply integrated into our lives, it will come out through our daily activities. When a situation develops we can say, “Let’s pray about that first and ask God for help in understanding.” Or a husband can demonstrate his love for his wife in front of guests at meal time by helping to clear the table and do the dishes, not just leaving it for the women to do. These are small yet powerful ways of showing God’s impact on our lives. I can almost guarantee it will generate conversation that can lead to spiritual things!
I know it can seem overwhelming at first. Where do I start? How do I reach out to these people? Pray about it and freely ask others from your church to join with you and work as a team. Ask if anyone in the group has a new Muslim neighbor or if anyone knows of a new refugee family in town. Drop in, say hi and get to know them (they are far more open to spontaneous visitors than we are). If you don’t know of any new families, you could contact a local refugee resettlement agency and offer to help.
Remember Jesus, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36, ESV).
When you see a refugee, harassed and helpless, see them through the eyes of Christ and pray for strength and wisdom to deal with whatever the daily crisis turns out to be!
We have a new grandson! This is great news to us, but not so great news to his older sister. Why? Before he was born, the first-born got all the attention, but now, that cute little baby is getting all the attention. This happens to every family that has more than one child. The first child feels the shift in the family, even when mom and dad (and grandpa and grandma) work hard to ease the transition.
This same thing can happen with refugees and immigrants. The world is complex and as war and social unrest continue to displace people, new refugees and immigrants constantly flow from one country to another.
Actually, the system is designed to work this way: New arrivals get most of the available help and those who have been there longer get less help. The problem is that local resettlement agencies are overwhelmed and can’t keep up with the regular support and contact they are supposed to provide. As a result, even though last year’s newcomers didn’t get enough help to transition from being a refugee, they are left without much assistance. This can leave these vulnerable people struggling and frustrated.
What an opportunity we have as the Church to step in and provide Hope and Light to these hurting people. Most of these people have never interacted with Christians before and never would have had the opportunity to even meet a Christian in their home country. Now they are here in our midst! As we assist in practical ways of teaching English, being a friend, helping them learn our culture, and teaching them things that will make their transition easier, we can also provide the light and truth of Christ.
If our faith is deeply integrated into our lives, it will come out through our daily activities. When a situation develops we can say, “Let’s pray about that first and ask God for help in understanding.” Or a husband can demonstrate his love for his wife in front of guests at meal time by helping to clear the table and do the dishes, not just leaving it for the women to do. These are small yet powerful ways of showing God’s impact on our lives. I can almost guarantee it will generate conversation that can lead to spiritual things!
I know it can seem overwhelming at first. Where do I start? How do I reach out to these people? Pray about it and freely ask others from your church to join with you and work as a team. Ask if anyone in the group has a new Muslim neighbor or if anyone knows of a new refugee family in town. Drop in, say hi and get to know them (they are far more open to spontaneous visitors than we are). If you don’t know of any new families, you could contact a local refugee resettlement agency and offer to help.
Remember Jesus, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36, ESV).
When you see a refugee, harassed and helpless, see them through the eyes of Christ and pray for strength and wisdom to deal with whatever the daily crisis turns out to be!
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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