RHP Meetings

I have just returned from the meeting of the Refugee Highway Partnershp for Europe (RHP). Leaders in IT's refugee ministry, working through the World Evangelical Alliance 4 years ago helped to start this network. The purpose is to bring together local churches, organizations and missions to encourage one another and facilitate more ministry among refugees. This year there were 11 representatives from Scandinavia, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria.

The meetings take place once a year, and I go in order to keep myself connected at a European level. One of the topics we discussed this year was immigration and asylum law. Most immigrants -including illegals, guest workers, refugees- who live in the West send a lot of what they earn back to their families and countries. I did not know this, but for a lot of these developing countries -if not most- this is the largest source of income. This has far reaching effects. It profits these countries therefore to keep these citizens from returning home -so that the money will keep coming. Likewise when the West denies these people the right to work, we are essentially putting the burden of development on our own shoulders.