Psalm 107
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from distress.
He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Why We Serve
The love of God compels us to seek the well-being of those who have been stripped of place in the world.
Who We Serve
We serve people who have been forcibly displaced from their homelands by war, persecution, and gross violations of human rights.
What We Do
We help people survive and recover from forced displacement and train others to do the same.
Where We Serve
We serve wherever asylum seekers and refugees are found, including refugee camps, urban centers, and rural communities. IAFR ministry locations are identified on the following map.
From the President
The number of people forced to flee their homes (and often their homelands) is at a historical high - 110 million. That means 1 in every 74 people alive today has been forced to flee their home due to war, persecution, and/or gross violations of human rights. The majority of them are women and children.
It can be overwhelming. It’s tempting to try to tune out and look away.
I’m finding the Lord’s Prayer to be a source of hope and strength. Consider the petition, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” These words lament that all is not well. Yet they resonate with a hope-filled longing that God will rescue and restore us along with all creation.
Evil, suffering, violence, and death are loose in God’s creation. But the forces of death and destruction will not get the last word. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus demonstrated that Love and Life have overcome and will remain.
We often feel that what we offer is just a drop in the bucket. But I take heart remembering how Jesus said every cup of water offered in his name counts* - as does every act of hospitality, generosity, and presence**. It is through such seemingly small acts of kindness that the kingdom comes - and overcomes.
We look forward to the day when no one will need to seek refuge. But until that day comes, we fix our hearts on Jesus Christ and partner with God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, confident that the day is coming when the prayer of Jesus will be answered, and the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Tom Albinson, President, International Association for Refugees
June 2023
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.
For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever.
Amen.
Breaking Isolation & Strengthening Faith
David was in the desert when he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David and helped him find strength in God. (1 Samuel 23)
Refugees are often separated from family, friends, and community during their desperate journey to find safety. Those who survive find themselves in an unfamiliar location facing a uncertain future. Tens of millions find themselves in refugee camps often located in remote locations, physically isolating them from the rest of the world. Their new host community often makes it clear that they are not wanted and that they do not belong.
Extreme isolation can only be overcome through relationships.
Many of our refugee friends have been stuck in such circumstances for over a decade. It takes more than humanitarian aid to overcome their isolation and strengthen their hope, faith, and resilience.
As IAFR’s Jacob Tornga put it:
Resilience begins with knowing that you are not alone and that you are not forgotten. It takes quality time spent together, building trust through shared experiences, and being present in the midst of suffering even when we do not have answers or solutions. It involves worshiping together, praying together, and reaching out to God with each other.
This is as true for our friends in refugee camps as it is for asylum seekers and refugees in urban centers and rural towns in Europe and the US.
Our work is about more than projects, programs, and services. It is about breaking isolation and letting our friends know that they are not alone and that they are not forgotten.
Of course, this ministry isn’t a one way street. These relationships enrich our lives and deepen our faith too.
Pursuing relationships with those we serve is core to everything we do.
Red and Green Lines
We frame a lot of what we do in terms of red and green lines.
The red line represents things needed to keep people alive and breathing. When people are forced to flee their homeland due to war, persecution, and gross violations of human rights, they quickly find themselves on the red line - in need of food, water, shelter, medical care, and safety. So we constantly assess whether the refugees and asylum seekers we serve have access to these basic provisions.
Thankfully, there are many humanitarian agencies that specialize in providing red line solutions in the midst of humanitarian crisis. This important work naturally lends itself to large scale service programs (e.g. refugee camps, food, water, and firewood distribution centers, etc.).
But meeting red line needs alone is not enough for people to recover from forced displacement.
The green line recognizes that hope and resilience are also essential to survival and recovery. They are strongest when people have supportive community, a life-giving faith/worldview, emotional well-being, and opportunities to make a meaningful contribution to society. Of course, a new skill set comes in handy too.
So green line work focuses on strengthening hope and resilience by investing in these things. Such work requires relationships of trust and is generally not well-suited to large scale programs. While green line work is essential to recovery, there are few organizations that make it a priority. The green line is our sweet spot.
In practice, the red and green lines are not neatly divided. Much of our work is on both lines simultaneously.
The following highlights from a few of our ministry locations will help flesh that out.
Refugee Church Consulting
When we first met Pastor Gatera in Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya), we had no idea that he would one day be resettled to Minneapolis and join the IAFR team as our Refugee Church Consultant.
Gatera has identified three priorities in his work. First, he consults with refugee church leaders in the US and internationally, helping them navigate life and ministry in their new and unfamiliar context.
Second, he connects refugee churches with each other in ways that strengthen unity and develop leadership.
Third, he consults with churches and agencies in the US and other refugee hosting countries, helping them effectively serve and partner with refugee churches.
Refugee churches can be found in refugee camps, urban centers, and countries of resettlement. They play a critical role in keeping hope alive as they provide welcoming, safe, and supportive community to people who have suffered the trauma of forced displacement.
Pastor Gatera helps refugee church leaders overcome diverse challenges as they navigate the legal systems in their host country and strive to develop sustainable communities of faith. Pastors face many challenges as they shepherd people living in a foreign culture. We are thankful they can turn to Pastor Gatera for encouragement and counsel.
Refugee Education Solutions
One of the consistent concerns we hear from refugees and asylum seekers is that their children are falling behind when it comes to their education.
Many uprooted children who have access to education find that the quality is lacking due to a myriad of reasons including overcrowded and under resourced classrooms, a lack of well-trained teachers, a lack of textbooks and other basic resources such as pencils and paper. They fear how this will impact their future.
The UN estimates that 41% of people uprooted by hatred and violence worldwide are children. Nearly half of them do not have access to education. The need to find solutions is obvious.
IAFR is committed to overcoming obstacles and finding solutions that will improve their chances of getting a quality education.
To that end, Whitney Gerdes serves as our Refugee Education Specialist. She is identifying gaps, recommending solutions, and assisting with the implementation of initiatives intended to improve the accessibility and quality of education available to refugees and asylum seekers.
In the past year, Whitney has offered training and consulted with ministries in Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Jordan, Malawi, Spain, and Slovakia.
More than Shelter - Jonathan House
Jonathan House extends shelter, hope, and healing to asylum-seekers in Minneapolis/St. Paul. We offer supportive housing, strategic connections, practical assistance, and a welcoming community with a desire to help our new friends recover from forced displacement and begin to rebuild their lives – and we do it all in partnership with the local church.
A friend and resident in our Jonathan House community recently described this ministry.
Jonathan House offers more than just shelter - it’s where I learned the American system, how to function here. For someone who is new here, Jonathan House is the best possible place to be. I also hope that in the future Jonathan House will be able to embrace many more people. That is my prayer.
It is our prayer, too.
As of May 2023, Jonathan House has three locations with the capacity to house and serve 13 asylum-seeking friends.
In 2022, we were able to house 5% of the inquiries from people seeking asylum. Now nearly halfway through 2023, our inquiries are up 62% from last year.
We are dreaming and praying for the resources to say “yes” to house and walk with more people who are seeking asylum.
Healing in Dzaleka Refugee Camp
One of our oldest friends in Dzaleka Refugee Camp is Pastor Olivier. He recently told us,
Dzaleka Refugee Camp does not exist on a map - which means we are forgotten.
The sadness in his voice was evident until he smiled and said,
but now we have Momma Grace.
In 2019, IAFR began a 3-part training in Dzaleka. From the very first day of the training, Momma Grace connected with the core question of this program, which is “How can the wounds of our hearts be healed?” After experiencing her own healing from answering this question, she has become a force for helping counsel and walk with others on their own healing journey.
Life along the refugee highway is painful beyond words. Grace herself is the first to point out that the pain and loss is so much, that most people feel silenced. She often shares...
In most of our mother tongues, the word for trauma does not even exist.
But Grace is on a mission to change this reality by providing space and opportunities for healing in safe, small group settings. Her ministry is called Tazama. It comes from Psalm 46 where it says “Come and see what the Lord has done.” In Dzaleka, Tazama is now synonymous with healing and hope.
A pastor recently told us...
When our people are physically sick, we send them the hospital. But when they have a wound in their hearts, we send them to Tazama.
All thanks to Momma Grace.
Lille, France
The city of Lille is located in northern France, a region through which many asylum seekers pass as they cross Europe looking for a country of refuge. Some seek refuge in France, while others attempt to journey further north or cross the English Channel.
France is one of the top destinations in Europe for people seeking asylum. Their numbers have doubled in the last several years. Many come from French-speaking countries.
Life is not easy for these women, children, and men. They struggle to find shelter. Most rely on migrant networks and local community service organizations to survive.
It takes all my energy just to find where to sleep and eat and stay dry and warm each day. I have no life left and I don’t know how much longer I can continue. - Asylum seeker from West Africa
As they offer friendship and practical assistance, our Lille team is facilitating supportive relationships between refugees, volunteers, local churches, and local nonprofits.
The Lille Refugee Centre is a ministry hub offering opportunities for language courses, computer and internet training, healing groups, prayer times, Bible discussions, food assistance, soccer matches.
The greatest joy for me is when others see themselves in God’s love. -Paul Sydnor
Ukraine Emergency Response
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 unleashed a major humanitarian crisis in Europe.
Nearly six million Ukrainians have been internally displaced in their country. Another 5.7 million have been forced to flee their homeland. While the majority fled to Poland, tens of thousands fled to other neighboring countries, including Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. The protracted humanitarian crisis continues to challenge these countries as they struggle to help those seeking refuge.
IAFR leveraged its relationships in Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland to identify partner churches and local agencies responding to the crisis.
IAFR financial partners were quick to help. We invested $200,000 in assistance between March 2022 and June 2023. Our priority remains helping those still in Ukraine. We plan to continue helping for as long as it is needed.
Our primary church partner is in eastern Slovakia. Together we are listening to church leaders in Ukraine as they identify priority needs in the ever-changing crisis.
Funding has provided shelter, food, washing machines, toilets, showers, generators, and vehicles. We helped Ukrainian pastors heat their homes through the winter. As the war has left many bereaved of their husbands and fathers, we have helped vulnerable widows and fatherless children make ends meet.
The crisis continues. Our work is not done.
Training and Consulting
We know that our vision and mission is bigger than anything we can accomplish on our own. That’s why we are eager to share what we are learning and equip others for life-giving ministry among people seeking refuge.
There are signs that God is stirring up a global movement of Christians seeking to welcome and serve refugees. We count it a privilege to help churches and agencies in diverse parts of the world show up along the refugee highway in ways that are meaningful and appropriate.
Ministry among forcibly displaced people is not missions-as-usual.
People, agencies, networks, and churches have sought out IAFR training from all over the world (including Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South, Central, and North America.
We also offer resources from our website, designed to help raise awareness and inform others of global refugee realities. Many of them offer helpful biblical perspective concerning forced displacement. Our resources are used and promoted by the World Evangelical Alliance, the Refugee Highway Partnership, and many other Christian entities around the world.
You can find IAFR ministry resources at www.IAFR.org/toolbox.
Why We Serve Refugees
We asked our IAFR teammates why they serve refugees with IAFR. Here's what they said.
I serve people seeking refuge because it is in relationships with richly diverse, beautifully dignified and deeply suffering people that God is forming my life and heart after Jesus – and because I long to see the whole Church formed in this way. -Bethany Ringdal
Extending care to strangers is a natural outworking of the radical welcome I have received from God. -Rachel Uthman
It is an honor to serve and encourage some of society’s most underappreciated people and have opportunities to share God’s goodness with them. -Andrew Sandeen
The Sarajevo ministry location, an important rest stop on the refugee highway to the EU, allows us to serve the vulnerable, often overlooked FDPs in Bosnia in a way that tangibly communicates value, respect, and God’s love. -Andy Pollock
The resilience of our FDP friends is strengthened through community and in turn our communities are strengthened through the presence of resilient people. I find it really meaningful to be a part of this type of mutually transformational community. -Kelsey Ueland
I serve with IAFR because in a world filled with refugees and displaced people who are often unknown the Lord has said, “I know their names, love as I have loved.” - Elisa Walt
Biblical Perspective
From the divine banishment of Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23,24) to the final book of the Bible penned by John while in exile on the island of Patmos, stories of forced displacement run throughout Scripture.
The foreigner is often mentioned in the Bible together with the fatherless and the widow - vulnerable people for whom God deeply cares.
What foreigner is most like the widow and the fatherless, if not the refugee?
God’s word repeatedly calls us to love and care for refugees in tangible ways. We are to be sure that their needs for shelter, food, and clothing are met. We are to extend hospitality and seek justice on their behalf as well.
When Jesus was a young child political persecution forced him and his family to flee in the night to Egypt. Upon their return, they did not feel it was safe to go back to their hometown in Judea and settled elsewhere (in Nazareth).
Jesus personally identifies with refugees and asylum seekers. They can also identify with him.
We are living in a century marked by a global refugee crisis. Followers of Jesus Christ will do well to rediscover our God‐given privilege and responsibility to welcome refugees into our communities and to help them survive and recover from forced displacement.
For by serving them, we serve Jesus.
Long-term perspective: 2010 - 2023
The number of refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people reached a historic high in June 2023. 110 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to war, persecution, and gross violations of human rights.
Solutions to forced displacement are failing as the population of uprooted people continues to rise. 1 in every 74 people alive today is a refugee, asylum seeker, or internally displaced.
It is in this context IAFR is helping people survive and recover from forced displacement.
Credits:
All photos and images by Thomas P. Albinson/IAFR.